Election leaders campaign

Each of the leaders in the upcoming Ontario election were out campaigning today.

A new poll released puts the NDP party ahead of the Liberals with the Progressive Conservatives still in the lead. Day 4 out on the campaign trail took aim at a comment PC Leader Doug Ford made Friday on immigration.

Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford spent time this afternoon at a retirement residence in Etobicoke pledging to invest in dental care for low income seniors.

“Many Ontarians have dental insurance but two thirds of low income seniors can not afford it.Our government will help approximately 100 thousand seniors every year to have access to vital dental care because in Ontario we take care of those in need.”

Ford promising $98 million a year to cover free dental care for seniors making less than $19 thousand a year. He also says older couples, with a combined income of less than $32 thousand will qualify.

Ford also took some heat about a comment he made on immigration at yesterday’s northern debate saying he would “take care of our own first”.

Today Ford defended those remarks.

“We have a pretty diverse group at Ford Nation. We take care of new Canadians. We take care of immigrants coming to this country.”

While NDP leader Andrea Horwath was at a family’s home in Sudbury, she called Ford’s comments concerning.

“I was a little bit shocked. I’ve heard that language used by people who are suggesting that newcomers are not welcome in this province or country that is not an opinion I share.”

She says it was a case of misunderstanding what municipal leaders were saying about their question to make it easier to immigrate into the region.

Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne, now trailing in the polls, made several stops today including the Muslim Welfare Centre in Scarborough. She was greeted by MPP Chin Lee as well as former Education Minister Mitzie Hunter.

She criticized Ford’s immigration comments saying, “He said something like ‘first we have to take care of our own.’ First we have to take care of our own and I would just say to you, we are all our own. We are one Ontario.”

At the event Wynne helped build baskets in support of Project Ramadan and focused her remarks on Islamaphobia.

“There are forces that want to say that Islamaphobia is just the norm and that is not right. That is wrong and we have to be vigilant. It’s not who we are as Ontarians and it’s not who we are as Canadians.”